Category: impact

Long before there was an internet or field of project management, Herbert Hoover was mastering complex logistical challenges. He was tapped to lead relief efforts to evacuate Americans stranded in Europe at the outbreak of World War I. He then remained to chair the Commission for Relief in Belgium where he mobilized volunteers at home and abroad to feed those in war-torn regions. Hoover continued his service during World War II — after he lost the presidential election to FDR — helping to avert mass famine by feeding over a billion people in 57 countries before he died.

Hoover’s formula was “centralize ideas but decentralize execution,” a good mantra for people to follow today. He was able to bring together partnerships of anyone he could find — using hungry people to unload box cars of food, enlisting teachers and hospitals to distribute food to children, and even engaging American housewives to observe “Meatless Mondays” and “Wheatless Wednesdays” to prevent shortages at home.

I’ve been thinking about Herbert Hoover and his valiant years of volunteerism, crossing the ocean in perilous conditions 40 times to inspire the effort, and I’ve wished there were more people with his spirit today. I’ve recently felt the impact of a lack of volunteers, either to assist at an art fair that had to be canceled due to lack of help or when challenged to find those willing to solicit signatures on a bond petition. Everyone is “too busy.” I’m sure that Hoover felt that way at times but made helping not only his country but starving people in many other countries a priority, even when Americans fought against them.

The essence of the American spirit is volunteerism. You don’t have to do heroics as Hoover did but contributing your time is needed now more than ever. Make it a priority to say yes when asked to help.

Over the Juneteenth holiday weekend, I visited the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum. There I learned much about Iowa’s native son who became the 31st president, especially his approach to leadership while he was Secretary of Commerce.

When Hoover began as Secretary in 1920, it was considered a minor Cabinet post without much influence or power. However, Hoover applied his engineering background and his ability to formulate partnerships to make the department a “hub of the nation’s growth and stability.” He created standardization for commercial uniformity of most housing components, including electricity, plumbing, and gas meters that made it easier and more economical for people to build their own homes. He regulated the new airline industry and insisted on standard safety features such as lights for all runways. Hoover oversaw the Uniform Vehicle Code to standardize motor vehicles and traffic ordinances and created standards for radio stations.

By the time he finished his service in 1929, detractors joked that he was “Secretary of Commerce, Undersecretary of Everything Else,” but his influence helped the country boost productivity and increase employment in the short term, and made life easier for everyone else in the decades that followed.

Hoover didn’t shrink his leadership or minimize his outreach based on the perception of the agency he was appointed to lead. Instead, he brought with him a large vision and worked to expand the agency’s infrastructure to fulfill that potential — a role model for you to do the same.